The Somerset Community Police Centre has adopted a new moniker following its move to city hall.
Police Chief Charles Bordeleau, Mayor Jim Watson and Const. Khoa Hoang will speak at the grand opening of the Centretown Community Police Centre, to be held at city hall on Oct. 2 at 12:30 p.m. Ottawa residents are invited to attend as well.
Flooding and high rent have been cited as reasons for the centre’s decision to leave its original location on Somerset Street and move into the second floor of city hall.
But some members of the Centretown community have voiced concerns over the move away from the visible storefront locale offered on Somerset.
“We’re thinking that it might decrease the presence of the police in the community,” said Rob Dekker, vice-president of the Centretown Citizens Community Association.
The old office was next to a methadone clinic and may have served as a crime deterrent, which Dekker said makes him especially concerned about the move.
The CCCA hasn’t heard of any increase in problems since the office closed for the moving transition and Dekker said so far police cruisers are still present in the area.
Centretown citizens may opt to call 911 or head to the Elgin Street police station instead of seeking out the office tucked away in city hall, but police are optimistic about the centre’s change of locale.